The New King
by LokisPrincess94
Summary: AU - Loki/OC. Loki rises as king when Thor steps down. Loki takes steps to make Asgard his own and make a new life for himself. [On Hiatus]
1. Loki's First Day

**This is post-Thor AU. For context: Loki let the Jotuns into Asgard, Thor and company went to Jotunheim, Thor was banished, Loki took the throne (but he does not know he is frost giant), Thor came back like he did in the movie, but the fight on the Rainbow Bridge did not.**

 **I hope this makes sense, but if it doesn't, I'll take the time to write it out to make it clear.**

* * *

Loki had never wanted the throne. He was second born, and he had cherished the fact he had the freedom to decide his life more than Thor did. The pressures of the crown were lost on Thor through the years, but Loki understood them better than anyone ever expected him to. Thor thought being King meant leading the armies and politics would be left to his councilmen. More importantly, it would be left to Loki.

Over the years, Loki's intelligence shaped his future more than Thor's future with the crown. The councilmen were wary of Loki's sharp mind and silver tongue, they could be assured that Thor would step up to take the throne, but that Loki would help Thor make the best decisions.

Until Thor's coronation did they not fear retribution from the younger son. Even if Loki made it known that Thor was not ready to take the head, they did not ever believe he would try to usurp Thor. Until he let the Frost Giants into the vault to steal the Casket of Ancient Winters.

Loki may have jumped the gun in his arrogance. He was sure that Thor was not ready, and though he had been right, it caused more problems than solved them. In the end, however, Thor's banishment proved that he was not ready to take the throne from his father.

In the end, Thor just walked away.

He gave up the throne, confronting his father about his newfound desires, his sense of purpose. He was resolute, even if he was doing this for childish needs, he was certain that ruling the realm was never in his future. Not the way Thor saw it.

Odin had the trouble then of the second son's ascension. The rumors of the Frost Giants getting into the Weapons Vault were few and far between, many of them were so far-fetched that even those who whispered about the attack didn't believe the words they spoke. Odin was assured that Loki's mischief had not caused too many problems.

Odin was reluctant to just give the throne to Loki. He was growing weary, even after his Odinsleep, he knew he would need to rest again sooner than the last. It would come sooner than he thought, and though he kept Loki on a tight leash, he fell into Odinsleep once again. Better planned, and Loki as well as Asgard, prepared for Loki's eventual ascension.

Loki gazed thoughtfully at the throne, gold and astute. Gold matched his color scheme, decided by his mother from when he was young, to accompany green. He'd detested the colors, but perhaps his mother saw him the King rather than Thor. A thought for another time, perhaps.

His councilmen were waiting for his attendance, and he was reluctant to meet with them yet. His father stepped down, in the most official manner possible. Loki knew Odin would still never be able to give Loki the throne willingly, always dangling it into his face, even now with Thor walking away from his birthright, directly giving it to Loki instead.

He hated the man, even now, but he understood why. And it had nothing to do with the fact he was Frost Giant, but everything to do with Odin's loss of trust in Loki over the years.

He didn't stand there for much longer and proceeded into the antechamber next to the throne room to meet with his men. They were much older than he, many having helped Odin from the very beginning. He would have to assess their worth for the future, and his plans for Asgard. He was privy to many of the issues and had suggestions for them all, but he hadn't the power to inflict much change with his father sitting at the head of the table.

Now that he was the one to sit in the raised chair, he felt a dizzying sense of power wash over him as he took the measure of the men before him. They all raised from their seats, laying fists over their hearts and bowing to him. His coronation would be in an official capacity soon, but for now, the Asgard people will mourn for their fallen king. Loki would need to be careful, as the people of Asgard expected Thor, and now Loki was King, he would need to allow them to adjust to his new role.

Håvard, one of the elder men present who also served as Loki's tutor for many years, spoke up first. "Majesty, we are deeply honored to have you present today after such distressing times."

Loki nodded his head. "I'm certain that many of you would not wish I sit at this table." He held up his hand so those who roused to speak did not say anything until he was finished. "However, I am here now, and I will rise to the role set forth for me."

"We would never-" Håvard began to speak up, but Loki put his hand up again to stop him.

"I will hear none of it. There is nothing you or I can say that will change the past. We have the future of Asgard to look towards." Loki paused, allowing his words to sink in for all the men sitting. Some of them still looked wary of having Loki sit in what used to be Odin's place, where the men thought Thor would sit while Loki would sit in a less dignified chair beside him. "I wish to discuss the current problems at hand. Thor is now on Midgard, but there have been stirrings about other realms under unrest. Since I am now King, I would like to make it known to them that this does not change Asgard's status nor stance on previously made agreements until I am certain they can be upheld."

"There have been stirrings in Svartalfheim, your majesty," Joakim says, sitting towards the end of the table with various books and scrolls in front of him. By far the messiest, but he is known for having the knowledge of all Asgard. Knowledge to even rival Loki's, though he was young, his brown eyes seemed to absorb everything, even if his lanky appearance and a mop of brown hair make him look scrawny and very unlike every normal Asgardian. Loki saw promise but also a threat, because he saw himself in the boy.

"The Dark Elves were said to be in hiding since the war with Bor generations ago," Loki stated, his hand coming to rest under his chin.

The Dark Elves were a problem centuries ago, but their presence in the Nine Realms was weak. Since the war, they went into hiding and were never seen again. Loki knew better than to think they were gone, Odin and Bor had thought the same. The Aether, to Loki's knowledge, was on Asgard somewhere hidden away. Even those who were there in the war fighting alongside Bor were long dead.

"Any other words spoke of them?" Loki inquired.

"None, your majesty. Whisperings, but their sudden presence seemed most unsettling with news of Odin's sleep and Thor's banishment," Joakim responded.

"What of their numbers? Do we have records of that?" Loki asked Joakim, but he shook his head.

"They may have been waiting to gather their strength, but Heimdall states he has not seen them," Sigurd, the war general, states. Sigurd was Odin's general through the war with the Jotun's, and though he has aged, he is much younger than Odin and has never wavered in strength.

"I have great trust in Heimdall's abilities, but even the great seer has let many slip past his watch," Loki jeered. Many of the council looked at him surprisingly. Loki laughed easily. "Certainly missed Thor and I as we were exploring the outer rim of Asgard when we were boys."

The council released the tension and laughed with him. Some of the council remembered the ear ache they had from Frigga as she stormed in to berate Odin in such a public manner about the many times her sons slipped from Heimdall's view and she was left in a fit trying to find them. Odin had tried to console her, but not until her boys were found, in which the council would have to be disbanded so they could all go searching for the two explorers. Many times, they found them in their rooms, while others were in not so good situations that got the boys in deep trouble with their mother.

Loki remembered those times fondly. He had felt like an equal to Thor when he was in trouble with their mother. Perhaps that was why he always searched for mischief.

"Anyways. Have Heimdall keep a close eye on the situation. If he sees any more disturbances I want them reported to me immediately." Loki closed the matter. Though it was not a done deal, Loki felt accomplished that he managed the first set of problems with the council without too many issues. "Next order of business."

"As King, you are now under the prospect of marriage, your majesty," Håvard stated plainly.

Loki sucked in a breath, having forgotten his small victory and falling very well on his ass being served that tidbit of information. There was a rumble of conversation as the councilmen all argued over whether it was the right time to task that with the king, and on his first day. Håvard argued that a prepared king is best, and especially when making the decision to marry.

When Loki was able to regain his composure, thankfully given the time to grieve internally for a few moments while the council argued, he finally put his hand in the air to silence them. Despite the topic of conversation, he was a bit jarred by their immediate response.

"Your majesty, if I may," Håvard spoke up tentatively. Loki nodded his head, giving him his full attention. "There have been conversations with many realms for a marriage proposal from Asgard. Odin considered many of them noble, but he never made any decisions. Not for you, or for Thor."

"Which realms?" Loki asked. He knew of a few realms with princesses who would be suitable for marriage but wanted to hear them all.

"Vanaheim, Alfheim, and even Nidavellir," Håvard answered, gesturing to another older gentleman sitting next to him who shuffled through a few papers before handing them off to Håvard, who then handed them to Loki.

There were dates of the supposed meetings and who stood in the place of the king during these talks. Loki grew up with the idea that he would marry a princess, but he imagined the process to be less demeaning to the romanticism his mother brought him up with.

His councilmen were quiet for a while as Loki looked over the papers, reading every word carefully. Vanaheim had a much more stable government than the others, and they married off Frigga, a Vanir, to Odin. They had a princess that was around Loki's age, a bit younger yet, but she had shown promise to the man that met her initially.

Alfeim was no different, though the light elves were known for their cunning, they had married off one of theirs to Bor's second son. They lived on Alfheim, despite marrying into the Asgardian Royal family.

Nidavellir was an interesting idea, as the dwarves had forever been master forgers and great business and political partners. Marriage was never discussed between the dwarves or any of the other Nine Realms. But they were beginning to show promise in their growing civilization that thrived on the trade agreements with Asgard. Even with no war to furnish weapons, they still made hefty profits selling other products, and not just to Asgard.

Loki would have to further think about this, but as he went to close the topic for another time, he had a thought.

"What of Midgard?" Loki asked. He was sure the human race was evolving. From what he saw on the throne for the short while when Thor was banished, they'd advanced far more than he remembered from the last time he visited. Even if their lives were short, they seemed to have made a name for themselves. Even if they are only protected under Asgard, especially after Odin defeated the Jotun army on Midgard. He didn't know how a marriage would work, given their life expectancy, but if it would open Midgard to the Nine Realms, then Loki felt he should be the first in his family to do so.

He turned his attention to the council. They were dumbfounded, none of them speaking because they had no words to directly say. Loki's brow rose, questioningly. Surely this was not a total shock to them all.

Finally, Joakim spoke up. "Your majesty never has there been talk about approaching Midgard. Not since the Jotun War."

"Odin made it clear they were just to be protected," Sigurd argued.

"On what grounds would we even be able to make a deal to have such an arrangement?" Håvard piped up.

"The Asgard people need some solidity in power. Choosing the fleeting life of a Midgardian would tarnish the Asgardian lineage," Sigurd spoke again. All talk around the table stopped, once again. Loki cooled his features.

"Nothing would tarnish the Asgardian throne so long as I, or anyone else, has to say about it," Loki said slowly, enunciating. Sigurd's face turned red but wisely held his tongue.

"Midgard would actually not be a bad idea," Joakim said. Every eye shot to him, his shoulders slouched, and his head dropped to the table where he had pulled a piece of paper out.

"Go on," Loki prompted. Joakim's brown eyes frantically searched the table before he sighed and pushed the parchment he was holding closer for everyone to see. It was old and withered.

"When Bor was King, he made talks with the early humans. Many of them were against the idea, according to Bor himself. Eventually though, one of his own advisors fell in love. Bor accepted the marriage, but they stayed on Midgard." Joakim pushed the paper further when he was done looking at it. Håvard grabbed it when it was closest to him and read it over before handing it to Loki. He was surprised to see it was even written in Bor's handwriting. He was never a great father like Odin became, but he had drawn and written children's stories about his adventures. He'd read them all with Thor when they were younger.

"How is that relevant?" Sigurd asked, looking at the paper himself when he was handed it.

"Well, we offered Midgard protection the first time. Politically, we could benefit from an arrangement with them this time," Joakim responded easily. He shrunk back when Sigurd gave him a withering look as he was handing back the parchment.

"I still don't see the benefit," Sigurd state easily.

"I'm not against the idea," another councilman, who hadn't spoken the entire time, Brynjar, said. Loki locked eyes with the man, sitting next to Håvard. Aside from Sigurd, Brynjar was a mighty warrior but had proved to be strong in talking with the people. He became a political advisor, the one that was sent in the King's stead when the King himself could not attend. Loki knew him to be shrewd, and despite being good in talking with the people, was known for so few words.

"Brynjar, you couldn't possibly," Sigurd objected. Brynjar shrugged his shoulders before facing Loki.

"Majesty, the people were expecting Thor after Odin. If I may speak so plainly, they were expecting a new and fresh Odin. Now they have you, and you could be the change Asgard sorely needs in the advancing world we live in. The other realms look to us for being on top. Including another realm that has been cut off from the rest of the universe would be a wise decision politically, but also for the people's morals." Brynjar sat back in his seat. Many of the men's heads were nodding in agreement, while Sigurd and his strategist sitting next to him were not impressed.

"There's nothing wrong with the system we have now," Sigurd seethed, hands clenching into fists.

Loki raised his voice so a fight wouldn't break out. "I feel this will take more discussing," he eyed Sigurd who stayed silent, but would not meet Loki's gaze. "I would like Joakim to write up a proposal for a meeting. Brynjar, I'd like to have you work with Håvard about going to Midgard and open the communication field. If we must, we'll contact Thor. He has friends there that could get us to talk with someone in power. For now, I'd like to move onto other important matters."

Loki spent so long in the council meeting, they had nearly skipped dinner. It wasn't until Frigga finally fetched Loki did they realize the late hour. His councilmen had much to catch Loki up on, and luckily Asgard was almost self-governing, so they discussed Loki's coronation for a while. The moving onto smaller issues. None were as tasking as the talk about his future marriage, but he was exhausted by the time he made it to dinner with his mother. They took it privately, as Loki couldn't stand the company of any but his mother.

Since Odin had returned to them, and Thor made light to what Loki did, Frigga and his relationship was rocky at best. She loved and supported Loki and Thor equally the best she could, and she supported Thor when he left, despite it hurting her inside to see him go. Frigga was less so of Loki at the moment, understandably, but Loki couldn't stand the lull of ice between them. He tried to act like it didn't bother him since his mother had every right to be mad at him, but he was getting tired of stepping around the issue. Frigga sensed Loki's unrest and sighed. They'd been silent for the entire meal, and all the meals before then unless talk was absolutely necessary.

"Odin is in deep sleep, deeper than last time," she said finally. Folding her hands in her lap she faced Loki.

"We expected as much," Loki responded tersely. Frigga sighed again, and then after a moment finally reached out to Loki. She placed her hand on Loki's arm gently.

"I still love you. Despite what you did," she said. Loki's eyes shot to hers, hardening.

"I did what I had to," Loki seethed. Frigga's back straightened, her own eyes hardening.

"You didn't need to do all that you did. You didn't need to do any of it," Frigga said tightly. Loki retracted the arm she was touching like she'd burned him.

"And what would you have me do? Sit by while the big oaf figured out he didn't want the throne after he was coronated?" Loki stood from his chair, nearly knocking it down in the process. "I did what I thought was right because no one would listen to me." Loki bared down on his mother, standing over her with his hands at his sides, seething.

"Loki-"

"No. I will not sit here and be told lies," Loki spat. He stormed out of the room and didn't glance back at his mother on his way out.

Guards were now stationed outside his room like they were outside Odin's rooms. Odin was taken to a room deeper in the palace and guarded by his personal royal guards. Loki was given new royal guards that were to guard his rooms at all times. It was odd seeing them there, now as he walked towards them. He had a room in one of the towers, further away from the rest of the royal family but close enough so he could reach them easily. He'd chosen this bedroom after Thor and he moved out of their shared room not far from Odin and Frigga's chambers. Thor took rooms that were closer to the main part of the palace while Loki took to separating himself from the people below. He enjoyed his tower because he could see Asgard before him, and the stars were easier to see from his balcony which poured light in during the day and the moons would glow softly at night.

When he reached his rooms, the guards stood to attention.

"I am not to be disturbed," he ordered, then walked into his rooms.

There was talk about him moving quarters, but he didn't feel he was ready to move into the King's chambers. Not yet.

With a big breath, Loki tried to reign in his emotions. He'd felt guilty for yelling at his mother, but he couldn't help that she was enabling Odin. He did what he could, he tried telling his parents that, proving it to them, but in the end, he had to do something to make Thor realize it himself.

Loki went to his table where he had a thing of wine and a glass, pouring himself some. Then, his rage filling him again threw the glass at the wall. It shattered, making Loki feel better for just a moment before he realized what he did. Loki shed out of his clothing, deciding a bath would help with his mood. Hopefully.

He tried to forget about his mother while he let the warm water soak into his skin, to relieve the stress and the nerves. Relaxing back and then dipping under the water to get his hair wet. It was getting longer, not nearly as long as Thor's as Loki had always preferred it shorter, clipped and tamed. He was unfortunately given unruly curly hair that took much of his morning routine to try and tame. He didn't have brute strength like Thor to show for, so he showed himself as handsome. He'd never had trouble getting women into bed, though not as much as Thor. As Loki got older, he stopped caring that his brother bedded more women than he did, preferring the company of a few than going for women who simply wanted to bed him to get closer to Thor.

He wondered, then, what marriage would be like with each of the prospective Realm's he could marry into. The Vanir's were similar to Aesir, in almost every likeness, except they were less brutish than Aesir. More suitable to Loki's tastes, and he had bedded many Vanir women in his time when there were festivals.

Light elves were even more delicate looking than the Vanir, but they were known to be vicious. In battle, Asgard described them as ruthless killers. They hadn't had a war in centuries, so the stories might not be true, but it would be interesting to see. Loki hadn't seen many of the women as they mostly stayed on Alfheim. The men were beautiful, in their own right, Loki had to admit.

Dwarves were another deal altogether. There were many that were beautiful, but Loki didn't like the idea of having to deal with the physical differences. They lived impossibly long, too.

Then there was Midgard. Loki's idea had sprung to him on the fly, and though the council seemed to be in almost agreement, Loki was still uncertain of the idea himself. Unlike the dwarves and any of the other choices, they lived such fleeting lives. If he were to marry one, something would have to be done about it. To his knowledge, nothing was made to change how long a human lived. Aesir lived long lives because that was how they were born. Midgard was the only inhabitants of creatures that didn't live long, and from his readings over the years had never shown that ever changing. Most of the texts were of its history from long ago, maybe things have changed since then?

Loki sighed again, not feeling totally himself yet, and the bath only helping so much. He got out and got dressed in some soft pants and crawled into bed. Tomorrow would be another long day.

* * *

 _(Earth)_

Her eyes hurt. Her everything hurt. Even as she trudged up the last few steps to her parent's apartment. Hannah had four very heavy bags in her hands, and she hoped that someone would get the door when she kicked it with her feet.

Thankfully, her brother was nearby and opened it for her. She came in, smiled tightly at him, and then trudged the rest of the way into the kitchen. She was surprised to see her brother still here, expected him to be gone by the time she got out of work. Well, she really hoped that he was gone because that meant her nephew would be gone. The annoying little shit grated on her nerves, and with him being here during the week drained her.

Long wispy white curls came into her view and she saw him reaching for one of the bags.

"Did you get it?" he asked excitedly, his hands digging into one of the bags.

"Yes. Would you stop?" she jerked the bags away from him, groaning when her hands and arms protested the sudden movement. "Give me a minute to set the bags down."

"Which one is mine?" he demanded, digging through another bag. She slapped his hand.  
"Let me get it," she told him, reaching into another bag and pulling out his boneless wings.

"Spicy right?" he asked, eyeing them intently. She rolled her eyes, stopping herself from quipping something at him while her brother was in the room.

"Yes. I know which ones you like you butt," she told him. He ran off onto the couch to go back to his game. "Napkins! You need napkins!"

"No, I don't," he said. He put on his earphones and started talking to whoever was on the other end of the game chat.

Hannah rolled her eyes again, not finding the strength in her to argue. Her brother was on the phone, so she started unpacking the bags. Their kitchen was small, and not a lot of storage space. Their fridge was deep, short, but could still hold a good amount. Their pantry was stuffed as far as it could hold, and their cabinets were the same. Since their move into this apartment, they'd had to consolidate, but with her mother's tendency not to let things go, provided for a very cramped home.

The rest of the apartment was much the same. A two bedroom, with two baths, a living room enough for a three-person couch, a tv, and a coffee table, and a dining room with their four-person table. When her nephew was with them, he slept on the couch, since she refused to share her room with the kid.

Her brother got off the phone as soon as she tossed the plastic bags in the trash.

"We're heading out now," James told her. She nodded her head, tired but glad that her nephew would be leaving finally. She wouldn't voice it to him, but he understood.

"Austin, say bye to Grandma and Aunt Hannah," James told him. Austin was reluctant to put down his game but did as his father asked. Austin went into her parent's bedroom and came out shortly after.

"She's sleeping," he says, then walks over to Hannah and gave her a quick hug. He grabbed his wings from the couch and then after her brother said goodbye to their mom and her, they were gone.

She sighed in relief, the house already starting to feel more comfortable to be in. Slipping out of her work shoes, she limped into the bathroom to take a shower. She worked part-time at a coffee house while she did her teaching on the side. It was a way to help pay bills, even with her graduate degree, she made a pittance to what was needed to support herself and to help her parents. She smelled like a coffee shop, and today she'd had an issue with the blueberry pump at work and managed to get it all over her arm. She'd smell like blueberries for a week, no matter how hard she scrubbed.

She didn't spend long, despite wanting to just sit in the shower for hours to let the world slip away, she had some work to do for her other job for a class she was substituting the next day. It was a high school class, much to her disdain, but it paid the bills. She'd done most of her substituting in college classes, but her old high school reached out to her in need when they heard she had a graduate degree in creative writing.

Her room was as small as the apartment, but she still tried to make it homely. She had a nice large bed, a desk with lots of writing space, and her dresser. A cat tower stood proudly in one corner, and her two beauties were sleeping peacefully. She worked to help support herself and her parents while she lived with them, but really, she was doing all this for her cats. Cassie and Baby.

"Hannah?" Her mother called from her bedroom across from hers. Hannah sighed, getting up from her desk and cringing when her body protested.

Her mother was laying under a few layers of blankets, a stand-up fan sitting right next to the bed and blowing air on high. Hannah could see her mothers face faintly in the light from the hallway, seeing her pallid skin and unkept dull brown and dyed red hair.

"Yeah, mom?" Hannah asked, her mom falling asleep briefly. Her mother's eyes opened again and then smiled.

"Hey, how was work?" she asked.

"Work was fine. Grueling, as always."

"You deserve better." Her mother closed her eyes again, getting comfortable.

"Could be worse," Hannah responded, as usual. "What did you need?"

"Could you get a glass of ice water?" Hannah sighed again in her head. She wished her mother would do at least something for herself, even if that was getting a glass of water. She pushed those thoughts aside and grabbed her still full water from the nightstand next to her head. All the ice had melted, which was never okay to drink for her mother.

"Yeah, sure," Hannah said.

"Thank you, sweetheart. I love you," her mother told her as she was walking out the door.

"I love you too mom."

* * *

 **So, I've scrapped the other story I was going to write in the place of this cause I actually have solid plans for it. I've got like three arcs planned out, and as of now, I have no idea how long this story is going to be. We'll see.**

 **I hope you guys enjoy this, and if you're interested, there's a companion drabbles titled "Loki's Gift". That is placed very far in the future, so this is the beginning of Loki's life as King and how he meets Hannah.**


	2. Restricted

Asgard was hardly awake when Loki rose from his slumber. The sun was just beginning to peak over the mountains in the north, Loki leaned on one of the arches of his open balcony. He wore only a loose pair of black trousers, bare feet on the tiled flooring of his room.

His balcony had lounge chairs and a fire pit. He used to sit out in one of his chairs to have breakfast if he wasn't eating with his family. It was quiet and overlooked all of Asgard, golden and glittering during the day, but serene and of a different beauty that Loki enjoyed, at night.

He loved getting up this early in the morning to watch the sunrise. Even after over a thousand years of seeing it, he was always humbled by the scene.

Loki was exhausted, in short. The council has been keeping him up late at night. His father left him quite the number of things to do. There were many renovation projects going on, within the main city of Asgard, as well as beyond its borders. There were people to meet that came to the palace when town leaders could not find a solution. Meeting with the people took up most of his days, holding court, and giving judgment to his citizens. Many of them had never seen him before, and they were always wide-eyed and hesitant to approach him. He had to keep his expressions inviting, and despite wanting to roll his eyes more times than he blinked, he had to stop himself, so he didn't give them the wrong impression.

Loki missed being the second son and not having all eyes of the public on him all the time. Now as King, he had to present himself in the best manner.

Luckily, he was more capable of holding his tongue and wielding it to work through the problems of the council and the people, than his brother. Yet, the day to day activities drained him by the end of the night. By the time he ate dinner and went to his rooms, he would collapse on his bed and fall immediately asleep.

Loki also had the issue of his coronation. Despite that Thor's was mere weeks ago, it would still take quite a few months to finish setting up for his coronation. Loki also wanted to be sure that his coronation would be different than his brothers, but not in a way to alienate the people that he now ruled. So many things to consider, and so much to do.

Finally, over the horizon of Asgard's great city, came the sun. Peaking over the horizon slowly, as if not ready to wake just yet. Loki breathed in deeply, closing his eyes and allowing the sun to wash over his face. The sensation was calming, allowing him to collect his final thoughts and prepare himself for the day.

He still had to talk to his mother. Eventually. His mother's words stung, eliciting a deeper emotion that he desperately tried to ignore.

No matter what, though, Loki knew his mother loved him. And despite everything, he still loved his mother.

There was a light knock on his door before his manservant, Arvid, came in.

"My King," he greeted, bowing deeply. Arvid began preparing his bath, sorting through his clothes that Loki would wear. He then opened the door for the maids to come in and start cleaning his rooms.

Loki stood at the balcony door for a moment longer, when the sun was now clear over the horizon, to begin getting ready for the day.

* * *

"Your coronation preparation is coming along. It's still in the early stages, but we have people working on it as much as possible," Rikard, a council member, said.

Loki's finger absently brushed over the spread of papers in front of him, listening to his councilmen update him since the day before. Not that Loki needed them to tell him all that he missed since he fell asleep.

These briefings were really just time for Loki to take each members measure. The war generals were still struggling in seeing Loki as their king. He often had to remind them that he was certainly in charge. The others were quiet in their hesitance. Loki almost appreciated the war general's outward displays, but he could tell the men were all there for one single goal: to ensure the future prosperity of Asgard.

"Keep it going. My mother is overseeing much of the preparation, so I'm certain it'll be done in time," Loki said.

"I think it's time for lunch now," Håvard reminded them. Loki sighed in relief, glad to be able to step away from the council members for a while.

They all stood, the men around the table bowing to Loki as he began to walk away. He planned on having lunch in his quarters, but he stopped when he noticed his mother standing near the door towards the royal chambers.

"Mother," Loki said. Taking one of her hands he brought it to his lips to kiss the tops of her fingers. She smiled and raised her other hand to brush his cheek.

Yes, indeed he still loved his mother.

"Might you have lunch with me?" Frigga asked, her thumb brushed under his eye. She was doing this because it would mean he couldn't refuse. And that she had stopped him in the meeting room with the other council members standing nearby.

"Yes. I'll have food sent to the dining room," Loki told her. Satisfied, she smiled and began leading the way to the royal dining chambers.

He was not expecting on dealing with his mother at a time like this. He didn't necessarily feel ready to face his mother. What happened weeks ago seemed so far away now. His mother didn't know much of what happened, but he was certain that she knew more than Loki thought she might.

He wondered what she would want to talk to him about. It was only lunch, so they didn't have a lot of time.

After telling someone on their way their plans, they made their way to the dining chambers. Walking in, Loki was reminded of their last conversation and could feel his temper flaring fractionally. He didn't want a repeat of last time.

His mother gave nothing away as he pulled her seat out and took his own next to her. Their lunch was served, which consisted of glazed meat, roasted vegetables, and an assortment of bread. Loki piled his plate with meat and having a servant fill his cup full of red wine. His mother took a fair share of the selection and no wine. This was obviously serious, but maybe it was because he was looking into this too much. Perhaps his mother was just here for some idle chat, she was always good about getting Loki to crack first.

He could not allow her to break him anymore. He was king now, and even if he was in an argument with his mother, he could not break on the whim of a woman. Even if it was his mother.

Frigga was ignoring Loki's mood, eating her lunch as she normally would. This caused Loki to be irritated, but he began eating his own lunch. Maybe she would start talking before Loki would be prompted to. Or she'll give him "the look".

Oh, the woes of having a mother that had taught her boys to be wary of "the look". Even Odin shared some of their discomforts when Frigga would give him a sidelong glance and the boys would squirm in their seats. Loki frequently found himself under her scrutiny when he did something, or Thor and him both when they got into trouble. That was ages ago, and even as they grew up, that look never changed how it made Loki feel. He was certain that if he didn't say something before, he would be under the ire of his mother. Luckily, the only people to see this exchange would be the servants.

Yet, his mother was the first to speak.

Frigga sighed, setting down her utensils and facing Loki better. "My son," she began, her hands resting in her lap, eyes serious. "I know the last we spoke, we were quite upset. It's my fault, for assuming the situation. You have to understand, I want to know. No – I need to know what happened that day."

Loki's throat seized up. If "the look" was bad, this was even worse. Loki locked his jaws and tightened his fist to keep from showing his mother what he was feeling.

That day was such a blur of problems. He wasn't sure if he wanted to admit to his mother all the things he did, that he wanted Thor to do, what he didn't want Thor to do. What happened, in the end, was misguided judgment and Thor got banished for it. Thor's choice to be in exile was the cause of Loki's choices. Now he was in the mess of being King while Thor paraded around Midgard.

His mother stared at him, quietly. She was waiting for him to say something.

Loki cleared his throat, loosening his fist and jaw. "Mother-"

"The truth, Loki," Frigga snapped, noticing the signs Loki was about to tell a lie. He stopped, the words caught in his throat.

"I wish to not speak of it now, mother," Loki stated simply. His face hardened, he did not want to talk to his mother about it. Not yet. "All I ask is you give me time."

Frigga seemed crestfallen, but she nodded her head. "I will wait. And I will give you my full support if you promise to tell me one day."

Loki curtly nodded his head and went back to his lunch. At least this conversation went better than the last. A weight Loki didn't realize was there seemed to lift fractionally off his shoulders.

* * *

Loki was at the council table again. It was getting late again, but there was one last thing they needed to discuss.

"I have made my decision on the marriage prospects," Loki said after a beat of silence from his councilmen. Many seemed tired, Håvard looked as if he was asleep in his chair, and the rest had dark circles under their eyes.

Their eyes came up to meet Loki's, interest piqued. "Joakim gave me information on each of the realms potential candidates. I have looked them all over and have decided to bring Midgard into the Nine Realms."

"Your majesty-" Sigurd began to protest.

"Yes, Sigurd?" Loki asked, eyes narrowing.

"Midgard is under Asgard's protection. They were never meant to join the Nine Realms." Sigurd's eyes fumed, hands flat on the table.

Loki's brow rose. "Are you to say that it was Odin's decree that made it so? Or the fact you feel they are inferior? Thor does not seem to think so since he is there."

Sigurd bristled.

"Midgard at present doesn't seem to have a central command. Who would we even speak to?" Håvard asked, coming out of his slumber – or he was just resting his eyes.

"What about that organization that captured Thor?" Loki asked.

"That would be a good start. Thor is there, perhaps he has been in contact with them. We could find who to begin negotiations with." Håvard seemed to have fully woken and was shuffling through papers laid out in front of him. "SHIELD is what they were calling themselves. From Thor's reports. A Son of Coul approached him speaking for the organization. We could try him."

"Yes, that sounds good." Loki nodded his head at his old tutor. Rubbing his chin thoughtfully he sat there, mulling over this idea.

Contacting Midgard had its own risks. Deciding to have one of their own to marry Loki would be even riskier. It would take a while to get everything sorted, but he was confident he could do it. He supposed that nothing would happen until after his coronation. They had a few months to devise the best plan.

First, though, he had to get his councilmen all in agreement with this.

"It's quite late. I think we'll call it a night. I want everyone's support in this." Loki announced. The men around the table nodded and then set about cleaning up everything. Loki would have dinner with his mother, after a successful lunch, and head promptly to bed.

* * *

Loki rose early again, but instead of looking out his balcony he hastened to the royal library. Rikard was not set to get him until a little later, so he had time to look at his collection.

Everything was quiet, save for the few servants who were up at this time. He paid them no mind, and they didn't seem awake enough to realize their King walked among them. The library was off the side of the palace, and though he enjoyed coming here, he didn't come often. He had his own collections that he had gathered over the years. There were a few that were not available to him, as a prince. Now, he did.

The library was even quieter than the palace. Large in length as in height. He walked further into the building in search of a section he had never set foot in.

Odin's private collections.

There were wards put around the section to keep those who did not belong out. Though, it was always reserved for the King. Loki wondered if it would be out of his reach still. He had to try.

He stopped, suddenly, hearing something. He pivoted on his heels and turned, ready to attack whoever would try to sneak up on him. Yet, when he turned, he dropped his arm. Joakim stood behind him, equally surprised to see him.

"Your majesty!" Joakim jumped, eyes instantly falling to the floor. "I apologize, I didn't know it was you. I heard someone."

Loki shook out of his own shock. "No trouble. I thought I would come and check Odin's collection before everyone woke."

Joakim raised his head a little, eyes peeking from under his brows. "Oh- yes. It is for the King, not just Odin's."

Loki nodded curtly. "What are you doing here this early in the morning?" He asked.

"I help out around here. Keeps me informed, and it allows me to be on top of what books we have your majesty." Joakim responded, a slight smile spreading across his lips.

"Good. I need good men in my council. Keep up the good work," Loki told him. Despite his reticence to trust all the councilmen, he felt he could trust Joakim.

"Thank you, your majesty." Joakim knelt, which was hard considering his robes and the large tomes in his arms. Loki shook his head, a small smile on his lips as he left the man to stand again on his own.

Approaching the part of the library that was off limits to the general population, Loki felt the wards before he even got close enough. Yet, the feeling dissipated as he turned the corner. The entrance to the section was dark and seemed to have some dust flying in the air. Obviously, Odin hadn't come here in quite some time. Not even the servants were allowed in this section most of the time. Only under the watchful eye of Odin would they be able to clean.

Loki felt like he was encroaching on dangerous territory. Stepping over the threshold of the aisle, he had the distinct feeling of giddiness. It was a welcome emotion after weeks of spending with the councilmen. He was bored out of his mind dealing with all the issues Odin left him.

He never had the time to actually explore the parts that were not allowed to him before. He figured that he would have to do it early enough in the morning. He was fortunate that he didn't sleep much.

This section was surprisingly bare, save for some extremely large texts. His fingers brushed over the spines of the ones nearest to him, feeling a deep sense of magic running through them. He narrowed his eyes, brushing away some of the dust from the spines. Almost all were in the old language. Not many spoke it, even Loki had trouble picking it up.

He didn't even recognize the handwriting, which was odd, considering that Odin and his fathers were the only ones allowed back here. He assumed that they had written the books. Perhaps they were just old books taken from other worlds? Taken as hostages and left forgotten in the forbidden section of the library. Loki let his hand fall to his side as his eyes perused over each of the books. A candle came on automatically after each section he passed, staying lit until he was far enough away.

For as much as the old fool shit on magic, he used it quite a lot.

The further back he went, the spines became more worn. He could see pages falling out of the books. Some of them were tossed on their sides, their guts spilling onto the shelves. The writing became more illegible the further he went, and soon he reached the end. Supposedly the beginning of Asgard's history, or the start of the kingship.

By comparison to the other worlds, Asgard was relatively young. With now only four kings from their beginning, Asgard only came out on top by how powerful they were. Odin was said to have the most prosperous rule, but Loki had to question that. As the stories told of his forefathers were grand and seemed to have lost most of its truth, Loki had hoped to find some answers.

He would never be able to look through these books now, he would have to wait until he had enough time. He would also need someone who could read the old language. Maybe someone on his council knew. Håvard seemed the likely candidate, but even his old tutor, with all his strengths, could not even read the old language. Sigurd was out of the question. Brynjar had never alluded to him that he could speak it, but even so, he didn't totally trust the man. Joakim seemed too young, but he was the keeper of the books. Maybe he knew some of it.

Loki backtracked from the section, making it to the end and listening around for the shuffling of Joakim's robes. He noticed a bit more light coming in, indicating it was later in the morning than he had expected. He didn't hear anything, and after walking around for a bit, he couldn't find him. Possibly getting ready for their first meeting for the morning – Loki will have to do something about his duties now that it's been a few weeks.

Resigned, he made the trek back to his room. This time, there were more servants and people idling about the palace already. Men preparing their carts for the market at the base of Asgard's palace bowed to him. None spoke to him, only eyed him warily as he went by.

Rikard was ready for him when he returned to his rooms. He made no comment to Loki's absence, merely went about his duties as Loki entered his bath.

* * *

His morning briefing went by without incident. The men needed more time to think over the marriage prospect, so that saved him the headache of having to hammer that out with them. When they disbanded quite early, Loki was asked to hold court with the people again. Before he did that, he caught Joakim. The young man perked up at having been called by his king.

"Yes, your majesty?" Joakim asked.

"Can you read the old language?" Loki asked bluntly. Joakim's eyes widened and then tilted his head.

"Actually, I can. My father taught me," Joakim said. Loki sighed in relief. Surprised, but satisfied.

"Your father was the last keeper of the books?" Loki remembered the last keeper of the books. He'd shoo him out of the library when he was being particularly rowdy with Thor.

"No," Joakim chuckled. "I was the last keeper's helper. My father was a soldier. He worked as Odin's personal guard until he died."

"Oh? When was that?"

"Several decades ago. I was a mere boy then," Joakim said.

Loki wanted to say that he was still a boy now but looking at him closely he noticed that the boy seemed much older than he first thought.

"Well, I have a task I'd like you to join me with," Loki told him. "I want to read through the texts in my section, I admit I do not read the old language well. I need some help translating."

If Joakim's eyes could not widen further, Loki would be mistaken. Large brown saucers gazed up at him in amazement for a few seconds too long before he shook himself out of whatever state he was in.

"Yes! I would be honored to do so!" Loki could practically see the bounce in his step, his eyes seemed to get misty. Loki had to resist the urge to roll his eyes.

"I would like to start this afternoon. I need something else to do than sitting with the council and meet with the people," Loki said.

"I can start this afternoon. When you have finished lunch," Joakim reigned in his excitement, but only marginally so.

"Good." Loki nodded his head. Joakim bowed to him as Loki went to the main throne room to deal with the problems of Asgard.

* * *

 **Hello, sorry for the late update. I hit kind of a block on this, on top of being busy. My brother flew in unexpectedly (happily). I was back at my parents, then back at my apartment, then back at my parents. I also went to the AWP conference in Tampa this weekend, so that was a lot of fun. I hope to get another update over Spring Break. I've got some work I need to do for a few of my classes, but I'll try and find time for this story. I won't abandon it.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


End file.
